TORONTO – After months of controversial developments outside of the cage, Jon Jones is still very much the same man inside of it.

The UFC light heavyweight champion survived a brief scare from massive underdog Vitor Belfort, but “Bones” proved why he’s considered by some to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport with a thorough dismantling of his opponent.

The bout served as the main event of Saturday’s UFC 152 event at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The fight aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Jones opened the fight on his knees and nearly caught a kick to the head from Belfort, who looked completely unconcerned that “Bones” was technically a downed opponent. Jones looked to referee “Big” John McCarthy for assistance, but the fight carried on.

Shortly after, Jones shot in on a single-leg takedown attempt, and Belfort looked for a guillotine choke but instead fell to his back. As Jones looked to posture up, Belfort threatened by securing the right arm and quickly turning his hips for an armbar that momentarily looked as if it would see him pull off the miraculous finish. However, Hones stood and shook Belfort off his limb and set back up in top position. Still, the moment sent the Toronto crowd into a frenzy, and fans chanted his name. It didn’t seem to faze Jones, who methodically disassembled Belfort’s face with crushing elbows and punches.

The cut over Belfort’s right eye survived an inspection from a cageside physician, and he was able to come out for the second frame. He was a bit tentative as Jones stalked from range and fired off several Anderson Silva-esque sidekicks to the knee. He would occasionally bring the leg up high for a powerful strike to the head, but it he seemed content to methodically pick apart Belfort rather than look for the quick finish. Belfort looked a bit out of sorts, and he eventually elected to pull guard. He absorbed less damage than in the opening round, but he also offered little threat to counter.

Jones opened in similar fashion in the third before a side kick to the body scored flush and sent Belfort to his back. Jones capitalized with an axe kick to the ribs before settling back into his opponent’s guard. Belfort tried to secure and arm and look for another submission attempt, but Jones stood and walked away. Back on the feet, Belfort continued to find the 10-and-a-half reach disadvantage impossible to navigate, and his only answer was to again pull guard. However, he was unable to really threaten with anything of consequence, and Jones settled for controlling the positioning and driving in elbows when available.

Belfort started the fourth with an exchange on the feet, but he couldn’t land flush, and he instead fell to his back. Jones seized the opportunity and gave up the ground and pound in favor of a submission attempt, quickly latching on to a keylock from side control and cranking the right arm. Trapped, Belfort had no choice but to tap.

Following the result, Jones admitted the first-round scare was dangerously close to ending the fight, but he insisted he was going to let the limb break rather than admit defeat.

“He got that armbar in every way, shape and form,” Jones admitted. “I’ve never had my arm pop like that before, and I don’t know, I felt it, but I worked too hard to give up.

“I honestly was waiting for it to break. I was not going to tap out.”

With the win, Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) extends his win streak to eight fights and successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight title for a fourth-consecutive time. At just 25 years old, he’s now beaten an incredible five consecutive former UFC champions.

The win is the first step in Jones moving past the stigma of a recent DUI conviction and his role in the cancellation of UFC 151, and he admitted he was relieved to again taste victory.

“It feels great,” Jones said. “There is a quote that says adversity is a teacher of a great general. I’ve got a lot of great mentors in my life. … I really feel like a stronger young man standing in front of you today.”

Meanwhile, Belfort (21-10 MMA, 10-6 UFC), who moved up a division to take the fight, loses for just the second time in his past nine fights, and those results came against the two men widely considered the best in the sport: Jones and Anderson Silva.

Ronda Rousey’s statistical greatness has already ventured into uncharted territory – just six fights into her UFC career. Check out all the post-fight facts, including Rousey’s latest achievements, about UFC 190.